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Career Details

25-2011.00 - Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education


Instruct preschool-aged students, following curricula or lesson plans, in activities designed to promote social, physical, and intellectual growth.


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
1
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
441,000
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
470,600
Estimate
Change in Employment
+29,600
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+6.7%
Estimate
Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • Provide a variety of materials and resources for children to explore, manipulate, and use, both in learning activities and in imaginative play.
  • Attend to children's basic needs by feeding them, dressing them, and changing their diapers.
  • Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.
  • Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order.
  • Read books to entire classes or to small groups.
  • Organize and lead activities designed to promote physical, mental, and social development, such as games, arts and crafts, music, storytelling, and field trips.
  • Observe and evaluate children's performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
  • Identify children showing signs of emotional, developmental, or health-related problems and discuss them with supervisors, parents or guardians, and child development specialists.
  • Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and needs, determine their priorities for their children, and suggest ways that they can promote learning and development.
  • Enforce all administration policies and rules governing students.
  • Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
  • Teach proper eating habits and personal hygiene.
  • Serve meals and snacks in accordance with nutritional guidelines.
  • Assimilate arriving children to the school environment by greeting them, helping them remove outerwear, and selecting activities of interest to them.
  • Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
  • Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects and communicate those objectives to children.
  • Demonstrate activities to children.
  • Arrange indoor and outdoor space to facilitate creative play, motor-skill activities, and safety.
  • Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
  • Prepare reports on students and activities as required by administration.
  • Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
  • Organize and label materials and display students' work in a manner appropriate for their ages and perceptual skills.
  • Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, and teacher training workshops to maintain and improve professional competence.
  • Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons promoting learning, following approved curricula.
  • Supervise, evaluate, and plan assignments for teacher assistants and volunteers.
  • Collaborate with other teachers and administrators in the development, evaluation, and revision of preschool programs.
  • Attend staff meetings and serve on committees as required.
  • Meet with other professionals to discuss individual students' needs and progress.
  • Plan and supervise class projects, field trips, visits by guests, or other experiential activities and guide students in learning from those activities.
  • Select, store, order, issue, and inventory classroom equipment, materials, and supplies.
  • Administer tests to help determine children's developmental levels, needs, and potential.
  • Prepare and implement remedial programs for students requiring extra help.
Supplemental
  • Provide disabled students with assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.
  • Perform administrative duties, such as hall and cafeteria monitoring and bus loading and unloading.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
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Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 Education and Training
  • 80%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
 English Language
  • 76%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Public Safety and Security
  • 66%
    Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
 Customer and Personal Service
  • 64%
    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
 Psychology
  • 62%
    Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
 Administration and Management
  • 53%
    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
 Clerical
  • 51%
    Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
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Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Cameras
  • Compact digital cameras
 Audio and visual equipment
  • Compact disk CD players
 Computers
  • Desktop computers
  • Personal computers
 Games
  • Educational board games
  • Educational puzzles
 Sculpture supplies and accessories
  • Educational toys
  • Pegboards
  • Sand tables
  • Water tables
 Duplicating machines
  • Photocopying equipment
 Toys
  • Toy block sets
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
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Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Educational or reference software
  • Appletree
  • Children's educational software
  • Common Curriculum
  • EasyCBM
  • Nearpod
  • Padlet
  • Schoology
  • Seesaw
 Network applications software
  • Bloomz
  • ClassDojo
  • Edmodo
  • Tadpoles
 Information exchange software
  • Email software
  • Google Meet
  • Intrado SchoolMessenger
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Flipgrid
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
  • Microsoft WordHOT
 Business function specific software
  • Google Classroom
  • Microsoft OfficeHOT
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
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Certifications
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
 Specialty
 Advanced
 Core
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
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Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
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Online Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.
INSTITUTION
PROGRAMS
Brightpoint Community College
Eastern Shore Community College
J Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Laurel Ridge Community College
Mountain Gateway Community College
Northern Virginia Community College
Paul D. Camp Community College
Rappahannock Community College
Virginia Highlands Community College
Virginia Western Community College
Wytheville Community College